SubMarine sinks Chunichi out of 1st

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Japanese Pro Yakyu 2005

Seibu Lions ace Daisuke Matsuzaka delivers to Tomoaki Kanemoto of the Tigers (top) in the righthander's first game at Koshien Stadium since he led Yokohama High School to the summer national title with a no-hitter in 1998 (bottom) (Photo Source: Sankei Sports)

With a 2-2 count on Kanemoto leading off the 4th, Matsuzaka got the batter chasing a low and away changeup for his 1,000th strikeout in 1,070 2/3 innings - the fifth fastest pace in history

MAILBAG: Televising baseball in Russia and other topics

By Jim Allen, Daily Yomiuri -- Shunsuke Watanabe allowed three runs in eight innings as the Pacific League leaders knocked the Chunichi Dragons out of first place with an 11-4 beating at Chiba Marine Stadium, taking two out of three over the weekend.
"When he pitches, we score a lot, but it's funny because he needs it the least," said Matt Franco, whose three-run homer highlighted the hosts' four-run first inning.
The Marines have scored 96 runs in nine starts for the SubMarine, whose ERA is a sparkling 1.74.
May 22: Full Story
Related: Sunday's recaps
Also: Japan wins Asian Championship

The true scoop behind Japan's baseball superheroes
By Thomas Dillon, Japan Times -- A quick peek at unpublished tidbits in the true lives of Ichiro, Matsui and Kiyohara from just last month.
May 13: Full Story

Ball bounces Marines' way in 9th
By Jim Allen, Daily Yomiuri -- One day after near perfection, Chiba Marine Stadium was full of pratfalls and pitfalls as the Chiba Lotte Marines bounced back from a one-hit defeat to beat the Chunichi Dragons 4-3 on Saturday in an exciting but less-than-classic contest.
The entertaining game ended in fitting fashion when a wild pitch scored the Marines' Akira Otsuka with one down in the bottom of the ninth inning.
May 21: Full Story
Also: Giants win 10-9 in Tokyo Dome homerfest
Related: Kyodo roundup

Bryant back in key role with Buffaloes
By Wayne Graczyk, Japan Times -- Returning to Japanese baseball this season after a decade-long absence is Ralph Bryant, one of the most prolific sluggers ever to play the game here as a member of the Kintetsu Buffaloes from 1988 to 1995, and currently the first-base coach and a batting instructor with the Orix Buffaloes.
May 21: Full Story

Lee's HR only blemish for Kawakami
JapanBall.com/Kyodo -- Chunichi Dragons righthander Kenshin Kawakami carried a perfect game into the eighth inning in pitching a one-hitter, ending the Lotte Marines' winning streak after three games in a 7-1 interleague victory on Friday.
Kawakami retired all 23 hitters he faced before he gave up a homer to Lee Seung-yeop with two out in the eighth at Chiba Marine Stadium.
Kawakami (4-2) struck out 10 and walked none in an 89-pitch complete game.
May 20: Full Story
Related: Daily Yomiuri recap
One-hitter: pitch chart; Lee vs Kawakami

Kubo finally gives up an earned run
JapanBall.com/Kyodo -- Rookie Yasutomo Kubo threw a four-hitter en route to his second complete-game victory as the Pacific League-leading Lotte Marines won their third straight after losing four in a row with a 9-1 triumph over the Hiroshima Carp Thursday.
Kubo (3-1) struck out eight with no walks and a hit batter.
May 19: Full Story
Also: Tools the key as Tamura plays model role
NEW KING OF THE DOUBLE: Longtime Dragons' sparkplug Kazuyoshi Tatsunami breaks an NPB record with his 450th career two-bagger (photos)
Pitch-by-pitch: Tatsunami's record day at the plate

MLB: World Classic will see to Japan's interests
By Jim Allen, Daily Yomiuri -- The World Baseball Classic is on track for next March and the concerns of the Japanese pro establishment are being addressed, Major League Baseball's representative Jim Small told the Daily Yomiuri on Friday.
May 20: Full Story

Kudo hangs on for record-setting victory

Kimiyasu Kudo (Sponichi Annex photo)

Daily Yomiuri -- A little luck and a lot of guts helped Yomiuri Giants 42-year-old southpaw Kimiyasu Kudo make history Thursday night.
Kudo, surviving a no-out, bases-loaded jam in the ninth inning, become the oldest pitcher to record a complete game in Central League history, tossing a six-hitter to beat the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks 5-4.
May 19: Full Story
Pitch-by-pitch: Kudo went with the fastball only 34% of the time, limiting the Hawks to three line drives and two outfield flyballs

Sugiuchi fans 12 to beat Uehara
JapanBall.com/Kyodo -- Katsuhiko Miyaji sparked a three-run sixth inning with a two-run, bases-loaded single as Softbank edged Yomiuri 3-2 on Tuesday.
Toshiya Sugiuchi (6-1) struck out 12 in eight strong innings in a duel against Koji Uehara (4-3). Koji Mise retired the side in order for his 15th save this season.
May 17: Full Story
Photo: Seibu Lions closer Kiyoshi Toyoda hands the game-winning ball to starter Kazuyuki Hoashi

Yakult pulls off a sweep of Lotte
JapanBall.com/Kyodo -- Masanori Ishikawa struck out eight in seven innings and combined with two relievers on a six-hit shutout Sunday as the Yakult Swallows blanked the Pacific League-leading Lotte Marines 1-0 in interleague play for their seventh straight victory.
Ishikawa (3-2) outdueled Shunsuke Watanabe (6-1), whose perfect record was broken despite a complete-game effort.
May 15: Full Story
Photo: Greg LaRocca pads Hiroshima's lead to 16-14 with a 9th-inning solo homer to left-center off a 2-0 inside fastball

Long overdue interleague action playing to good reviews

Micky the Dog (Sankei Sports photo)

By Wayne Graczyk, Japan Times -- The concept of the koryu-sen (interleague play) in Japanese baseball is getting great reviews so far from players, fans and media members. Typical comments from participants are, "We should have been doing this 10 years ago" and "It's great to see some different ballparks and towns for a change."
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Canine card: Micky, the dog who brings fresh baseballs to the home plate umpire at Hiroshima Carp games, will be featured on a Calbee Potato Chips baseball card next month. He will be the first non-player or non-manager to appear on a card.
May 14: Full Story

Nishiguchi misses out on no-hitter, again
Daily Yomiuri -- Fumiya Nishiguchi was oh so close to a no-hitter. Two down in the ninth with an 0-1 count to the Yomiuri Giants' Takayuki Shimizu, who had struck out his last two times up.
But it was not to be. Shimizu took the veteran Seibu Lions right-hander deep over the right-field fence at Invoice Seibu Dome to break up Nishiguchi's no-hitter and his shutout with one swing.
It was the only consolation for the Giants, who fell 6-1 to the surging Lions on Friday in a meeting between two of the most successful clubs so far in interleague play.
May 13: Full Story
One-hitter: event log || pitch-by-pitch (En/Jp) || photo
Nishiguchi's 2002 no-hit attempt vs Lotte: box score
Sankei Sports' list of no-hit bids foiled with one out left
Related: Friday's roundup
Also: Hawks hit Dragons closer Iwase

Igawa hands Lotte first shutout
By Jim Allen, Daily Yomiuri -- Kei Igawa and the Hanshin Tigers accomplished something no Pacific League team has been able to do all season -- shut out the Chiba Lotte Marines.
Igawa scattered eight hits and struck out seven without a walk to shut down Japan's top offensive club as the Tigers escaped Chiba Marine Stadium with a 3-0 victory.
May 12: Full Story

First-place Marines improve to 28-9
By Jim Allen, Daily Yomiuri -- Hiroyuki Kobayashi allowed a run in seven-plus innings and the Chiba Lotte Marines took advantage of some sloppy fielding to defeat the Hanshin Tigers 4-1 at Chiba Marine Stadium on Wednesday night.
Kobayashi (5-2) allowed a run on nine hits. The right-hander struck out five without walking or hitting a batter as the Marines' fourth straight win lifted them to a Japan-best 28-9.
May 11: Full Story
Roundup: Matsuzaka masterful vs. Dragons
Also: TBS manager plagiarized Yomiuri sports stories

Interleague play may change CL thinking
By Jim Allen, Daily Yomiuri -- One wonders what advantage the CL thinks it secures by not announcing starting pitchers for its regular season games. Originally the idea was to keep the opposition in the dark, but the down side is that fans are also in the dark.
May 11: Full Story

Carp outduel April MVP Sugiuchi
JapanBall.com/Kyodo -- Greg LaRocca homered in back-to-back at-bats off Toshiya Sugiuchi and handed the southpaw his first loss of the season in Hiroshima's 2-1 triumph over SoftBank.
Hiroki Kuroda (5-1) held the Hawks to a run on four hits in a complete-game effort.
May 10: Full Story
Related: MVP awards for April
Also: Sasaki has knee surgery

Watanabe, Marines blank 'Stars 18-0
JapanBall.com/Kyodo -- Benny Agbayani and Matt Franco each drove in four runs Sunday as the Lotte Marines hammered the Yokohama BayStars 18-0 in interleague play.
Shunsuke Watanabe (6-0) pitched his second shutout of the season.
May 8: Full Story

Giants win in interleague opener
JapanBall.com/Kyodo -- Tuffy Rhodes and Toshihisa Nishi homered and Kimiyasu Kudo pitched 6-2/3 effective innings to lead the Yomiuri Giants to an 8-6 victory over the Rakuten Eagles as the first-ever interleague play in Japanese baseball got underway on Friday.
May 6: Full Story
Photo: Pre-game ceremony on a cloudy Friday evening at Yokohama Stadium

Woods fined, banned for 10 games
JapanBall.com/Kyodo -- The Central League imposed a 10-game suspension and a 500,000 yen fine on Chunichi Dragons infielder Tyrone Woods on Friday for his role in a brawl during Thursday's game against the Yakult Swallows.
May 6: Full Story

Interleague play set to begin Friday
By Darron Hargreaves, Asahi Shimbun -- Fans probably just can't wait for the start of interleague play Friday. It's a first for Japanese baseball and while there are six games on tap, there's one absolutely-can't-miss game on the slate.
The Yomiuri Giants vs. Rakuten Eagles game in Sendai makes for a compelling matchup.
May 5: Full Story
Related: History to be made with first interleague games

Marines' charge more than luck
Daily Yomiuri -- This was to be the season of change, but one change few foresaw was the meteoric rise of the Chiba Lotte Marines, who have won 12 straight games.
Not only did the streak put the Marines in first place, but it is evidence the Marines are more than mere contenders.
May 4: Full Story
Related: Rakuten stops Lotte's winning streak at 12
Photo: Eagles' Kaneda hurls first CG in three years

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